In this short lesson, we will learn the meaning of the Italian idiom Cadere dal pero along with its pronunciation. If you are often surprised, this expression is for you!
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Cadere dal pero
Meaning of the idiom
Cadere dal pero can be literally translated as “to fall off the pear tree”. Its meaning is the same as the English expressions to be flabbergasted or to be lost for words, so it’s used to mean that you are taken by surprise in a somewhat negative way.
Linguistically speaking, this idiom can be broken down into…
- cadere (to fall)
- dal (from the)
- pero (pear tree, pear as the fruit is pera)
For example, you could say…
Michele è caduto dal pero: non sapeva niente.
Michele was flabbergasted: he did not know anything.
Paolo è così ingenuo! Cade sempre dal pero.
Paolo is so naive! He is always lost for words.
Pronunciation of Cadere dal pero in Italian
Now let’s hear how this idiom is pronounced.
Cadere dal pero.
To be lost for words.
Literally: To fall off the pear tree.
If you need help with Italian pronunciation, check out the lesson on the Italian alphabet and pronunciation.
Where does Cadere dal pero come from?
Falling off a tree all of a sudden is not pleasant.
This idiom is often used to describe people who are naive about the world, because they seem to be stuck high up in a tree, oblivious to everything else. When they fall, that is, when reality hits them, they hit the ground and get hurt.
Now, why is it a pear tree and not some other type of tree? Pear trees are tall trees and they are fairly common in Italy, stretching even 17 meters from the ground. At that height, it’s hard to get to know what happens on ground level, and a fall is going to hurt!
And that’s the end of our lesson on the Italian idiom Cadere dal pero!
What next?
See all the other Italian idioms!
Now that you’ve seen what the meaning of the idiom Cadere dal pero is in Italian, you might want to keep learning Italian online with these free Italian resources:
Title: Italian All-in-One For Dummies
Language: English / Italian
Publisher: For Dummies
Pages: 672
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